sparge

This week I take a look at some of the key process factors when lautering and sparging your all grain beer. Last week in part one, I discussed equipment design and how a filter bed forms around grain husks and creates channels that the wort flows through. I explained why a poorly designed lauter tun […]

This week I take a closer look at the mashing process and what is actually going on when we mash malted barley and then sparge it to produce wort during the brewing process. The Purpose of Mashing Mashing is, in its most simple form, a process that breaks longer carbohydrate molecule chains into simpler sugars […]

Steeping and Mashing Dark Grains in BeerSmith

by Brad Smith on April 19, 2022 · 1 comment

This week I take a look at how to incorporate separately steeped dark grains with BeerSmith, a technique often used to minimize burnt, harsh roast grain flavors in the finished beer. Steeping/Sparging vs Mashing Dark Grains As I covered in this original article on the topic, all grain brewers can be well served by separately […]

A controversial subject in home brewing is whether to treat your sparge water the same as you do your mash water when home brewing beer? This week we look at several competing camps and try to answer this difficult question for home brewers. Treating your brewing water may include adding salts (Epsom salt, baking soda, […]

Astringency, which is a dry, vinegar like off-flavor in your beer, can be caused by oversparging or sparging your grains too hot while brewing. This week I take a look at astringency, oversparging and sparging your grains too hot. Astringency Astringency in the finished beer is usually the result of excess tannins extracted from the […]

Batch sparging has become a popular technique for all grain home brewers. This week I invite Denny Conn who is an expert in batch sparging to provide his advice on the best way to batch sparge your home brewed beer. Download the MP3 File – Right Click and “Save As” to download this mp3 file […]

Avoiding a Stuck Sparge for All Grain Beer

by Brad Smith on April 24, 2009 · 15 comments

barley_beer_web

A stuck sparge can be a painful experience when brewing all grain beers. New all grain brewers often find their sparge has come to a complete halt when brewing their favorite beer, so this week we look at how to avoid this common home brewing problem.

Brewery

Today we look at traditional fly sparging, batch sparging and no-sparge brewing techniques. Batch sparge techniques have become very popular with homebrewers because batch sparging requires less time and less equipment than traditional techniques at minimal added cost…